“We confirm that the availability of news will end on Facebook and Instagram for our users in Canada before the Online News Act (Bill C-18) comes into force,” Meta wrote in an announcement post cited by Tech Crunch on Saturday (24/6).
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“We have repeatedly stated that in order to comply with Bill C-18, content from media outlets, including publishers and news broadcasters, will no longer be available to users accessing our platforms in Canada,” he added.
The Online Information Act requires news and social media platforms such as Google and Facebook to negotiate commercial agreements and compensate news publishers for their content.
Once the Online Information Act has been approved by the Senate, the Governor General will be asked to approve the legislation as the final step towards ratification.
Meta has voiced opposition to the online news law since the bill first came before the Senate in 2021. Last year, Meta threatened to block news content in Canada unless the Senate amended the controversial bill.
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Meta’s stance became even more serious when the Mark Zuckerberg-led company tested limiting access to information for some of its social media users in Canada.
Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez responded to Meta’s actions in a tweet on Twitter on Thursday (6/22).
“Facebook knows full well that it has no obligations under current law. Following the approval of Bill #C18, the government will be involved in the regulatory and implementation process. If the government can’t defend Canadians against tech giants, who will?” Pablo wrote.
Besides Facebook, Google has also expressed similar attitudes and actions, with the tech giant also blocking access to news content for some of its users in Canada.
“At every step, we have proposed thoughtful and pragmatic solutions that will improve the bill (Online Information Act) and pave the way for us to increase our already significant investment in the Canadian information ecosystem,” Google said in a statement.
The online news law that Canada will adopt is similar to the law passed by Australia in 2021. Meta briefly blocked news content in that country, but reopened access after the Australian government agreed to change the law.
The amendment gives Meta more time to negotiate with newspaper publishers in Australia.
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